President Obama And The Era Of Elite Governance

Think about it. The world of “the rulers“ is one where personal wealth, governmental power, and exclusive insider relationships, are all “leveraged” and intermingled so as to beget more personal wealth, power, and opportunity for the rulers. Both Democrats and Republicans play on this field, although Democrats are usually more inclined to wield power in such a way as to constrain the outsiders.

For those of us who aren’t in the exclusive Washington club - - “the ruled” - - it is understood that we cannot find our way in the world without the help and meddling of the rulers. And, of course, we must at all times be held to the letter of the law (especially tax law).

The belief is that, left to our own devices, we will necessarily fail to develop a career and find gainful employment, fail to care for our neighbors, drive the wrong kinds of cars and overheat the planet, and fail to properly educate our offspring. Should any of us defy the odds and actually make a life for ourselves without all the insider advantages of being among the Washington elite, it is incumbent upon us to willingly do “the Patriotic thing,” as Vice President Biden described last Fall, and submit to having the government take away ever-increasing portions of our wealth. After all, “the rulers” know how to manage all that wealth better than we do ourselves.

This elitist mindset of “the rulers” was painfully apparent during the short and not-so-happy Senate “bid” of presidential daughter Caroline Schlossberg. While it is unclear whether or not she ever really wanted to be a Senator in the first place, she did nonetheless lower herself once, and submit to a sit-down discussion with reporters in December. During the rambling and rather inarticulate chat, Schlossberg assured reporters of all the things she intended to “give” New Yorkers - - more education, more healthcare, more jobs - - all things that are funded with our tax dollars. Yet, three weeks later, Ms. Schlossberg withdrew her availability for the Senate appointment, in part because she was discovered to have unpaid back taxes.

Do as I say, not as I do.

Currently, there seems to be no limit to America’s appetite for elitist governance. Yet millions of us still dare to think differently. We may not aspire to be one of “the rulers,” and we are a cultural minority group right now, yet we will not be “ruled” as President Obama and the Congress believe we should.